Smiling, glasses and hats taboo for driver's license photos

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BY KEN KOSKY
kkosky@nwitimes.com
219.548.4354 | Monday, December 08, 2008 | (27 comment(s))

Don't flash a toothy smile, don't wear your glasses and don't wear a hat or head scarf while you're getting your photo taken for an Indiana driver's license or identification card.

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles last month rolled out a new set of rules governing how people must be photographed on their driver's license photos.

No, the rules aren't designed to make driver's license photos -- which already had a reputation for being unflattering -- even worse.

Rather, the BMV is making the photographs uniform so their facial recognition software can be its most effective in spotting fraudulent license applications.

A person's new photograph will be compared against old photographs on file -- more than 6 million dating back at least eight years -- to protect customers from identity fraud, said Ron Stiver, BMV commissioner.

"We take very seriously our responsibility to help protect the personal identity of Hoosiers, and the employment of this innovative technology is yet another important step forward in doing just that," Stiver said.

BMV Communications Director Dennis Rosebrough said if a criminal went to get a driver's license under his name, the criminal's photograph would be compared to an old photograph of Rosebrough and the BMV could be alerted the next day that the two don't match.

Rosebrough said the new technology is just an advancement of what the BMV already was doing. BMV employees always have looked at the old photo of a person to see if it looked like the person seeking a new license.

The facial recognition software might raise privacy issues, Rosebrough acknowledged. The BMV could give police a photo of a wanted person and that person could be arrested going through an airport where facial recognition software is used.

But Rosebrough said the BMV has long cooperated with law enforcement to provide photos and information that leads to arrests.

The bottom line, Rosebrough said, is that in this day of identity theft and fraud, "We believe it's our responsibility to assure all Hoosiers the credentials we issue ... are as accurate as possible." He said Indiana is one of about 20 states using the technology.

Rosebrough said BMV customers can petition to leave on headdresses in photographs for religious reasons and can petition to have a nonphoto license or identification card. Overall, the rule changes have been implemented without a hitch.

"We've really had minimal issues," Rosebrough said.

"If people understand why we're doing something, our experience is the great, great majority of our customers say 'fine, we get it.' "

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Sam wrote on Mar 5, 2009 9:21 AM:

" I went yesterday to the BMV in Indiana to get my license renewed and she said "remove your glasses" you can smile but don't show teeth!!!
My picture was taken 3 times!!! "

Smiling wrote on Jan 13, 2009 5:00 PM:

" Did anyone else notice the logical flaw here. If the technology can already compare your non-smiling pics to previous pics in which you are smiling what difference does it make. "

Chenina wrote on Dec 19, 2008 1:54 PM:

" What about Muslim women whom cover their heads? "

CERTIFICATION CENTER ANYONE wrote on Dec 13, 2008 10:09 AM:

" WILL WE BE REQUIRED TO BE "CHIP CERTIFIED" NEXT?

Quote from 12/12/08 Times: "The mobile-voting system, which has already been tested, requires that voters obtain free, authorized chips for their phones, said Raul Kaidro, spokesman of the SK Certification Center, which issues personal ID cards in Estonia.

The chip will verify the voter's identity and authorize participation in the electronic voting system, he said."

NOTICE THE CHIPS ARE "FREE" "

eye eye eye eye eye wrote on Dec 12, 2008 7:18 PM:

" Some people are easily fooled.

The REAL ID is for REAL. We all have choices. - me myself & I "

Sue wrote on Dec 11, 2008 3:27 PM:

" If I had a choice between not smiling and getting my identity stolen...I'd pick not smiling. No brainer there. "

WISEGUY wrote on Dec 10, 2008 11:47 AM:

" The politicians have taken away the smiles way before this. "

Montagn� wrote on Dec 10, 2008 7:41 AM:

" Welcome to Big Brother world. Those who smile will be prosecuted. "

Ramon wrote on Dec 10, 2008 6:36 AM:

" But if I'm passing through an airport, or driving, I *will* be wearing glasses, and it's quite possible that I will be smiling. Maybe the BMV will also prohibit smiling while driving, all to help the facial recognition software.

I'm off to buy a V for Vendetta mask "

dotcompals wrote on Dec 10, 2008 2:48 AM:

" I think it is a fair call. No place for glasses and hats when it comes to drivers license. Good. "

Margaret wrote on Dec 9, 2008 10:39 PM:

" The REAL ID is the governments real method for tracking people. Course, they're wanting to track citizens of the good old US of A.....and facial recognition is by no means 100% accurate. "

Chaz wrote on Dec 9, 2008 6:55 PM:

" "Rosebrough said the new technology is just an advancement of what the BMV already was doing. BMV employees always have looked at the old photo of a person to see if it looked like the person seeking a new license."

So this doesn't add any new security; it justs changes the existing security so that the decision no longer rests with a human, the best facial recognizers in the world, but instead rests with fragile software that's going to make countless mistakes and cause no end of grief for applicants.

"Rosebrough said BMV customers can petition to leave on headdresses in photographs for religious reasons"

...thus forever ruining the ability to recognize and match against that picture. Tell me now why a criminal wouldn't have a sudden change of religious feelings upon hearing that?

"and can petition to have a nonphoto license or identification card."

Brilliant! Sounds like an option any identity thief worth his salt would take.

Tell me, Mr. Rosebrough, how this scheme is not more riddled with holes than swiss cheese. "

pwnd wrote on Dec 9, 2008 5:07 PM:

" By that logic, all I need to do is smile in the airport and I'll bring the "facial recognition" software to it's knees.

Terrorists take note. "

re Nothing doing wrote on Dec 9, 2008 12:46 PM:

" Yes he is and his name is Obama! "

RE Kenya wrote on Dec 9, 2008 12:10 PM:

" I had to have my passport photo re-taken this past summer and I was told that I could not smile. I was allowed a small "smirk" but nothing more, due to facial recognition software. "

REAL ID IS EVIL wrote on Dec 9, 2008 11:50 AM:

" I just had a Kentucky driver's license made last week. The cost went WAY up to $30 (car and motorcycle).

They're not saying it, because it has a deservedly bad reputation, but this is REAL ID. It's a REAL BAD IDEA. For starters, it's an international ID card and the massive database will be shared with other countries. The spokesperson for the Indiana BMV was repeatedly quoted in the article as saying this would protect people's identity, but in fact, the open database is a treasure trove for identity thieves. How many articles have you read about the government losing a computer with a huge database and now millions of identities are at risk?

Google REAL ID or search for it on YouTube and make up your own mind. Don't let them run this scam on you because you aren't educated. Wake up! "

Nothing doing wrote on Dec 9, 2008 11:44 AM:

" Just another way to control everyone. Satan is coming! "

kenya wrote on Dec 9, 2008 11:34 AM:

" Whoever said that these are the same requirements for passport photos is wrong. I'm smiling on my passport photo.

If they wanted to successfully implement facial recognition software, I'm sure there are more robust options out there. When facial recognition software is used in the wild, it has to be able to recognize facial distortions. Otherwise, it's worthless. "

hueyNewtron wrote on Dec 9, 2008 8:24 AM:

" Are beards also forbidden? What if your religion mandates a beard? Will members of those religions simply be denied drivers licenses? "

Robert wrote on Dec 9, 2008 8:19 AM:

" This is for your own good, comrade! We must keep the USSA safe! After all, this is easier than doing real work like fixing our broken software, comrade! "

JackO wrote on Dec 9, 2008 8:11 AM:

" With all the money and bailouts, Indiana spends taxpayer $$ on crappy software. So how is the officer going to use the facial racognition sofware during a traffic stop? Or is Indiana going to install cameras everywhere and take your picture when you pass and then run it against the database just to "check up" on you? I'm changing my name to George Orwell when I get my new license! "

Vision Impaired wrote on Dec 8, 2008 4:30 PM:

" If you wear glasses all the time and need glasses to drive, why on earth wouldn't you be wearing them in the picture???? "

stupid wrote on Dec 8, 2008 12:38 PM:

" hello everyone this is a way to try to help us. Do you not understand, and yes every where you go you will have to WAIT. "

Mary wrote on Dec 8, 2008 11:39 AM:

" Be prepared to stand in line and wait a long time for those driver's license photos. I went to the Crown Point BMV a few weeks ago to get my drivers license renewed. The employee at the BMV took about 20 pictures of me before she finally got it right. There were plenty of people in line behind me getting impatient over the waiting. Who says new technology is necessarily better? It's just more confusing, if anything. I guess that new camera is one of the reasons are licenses now cost $19.00. "

Nothing new wrote on Dec 8, 2008 9:37 AM:

" If you've ever had a passport photo taken , you would know that these are the same requirements for taking the photo. "

new world order wrote on Dec 8, 2008 9:35 AM:

" BIG brother is watching! Better behave and obey the laws or else. You will learn to conform or risk being terminated. "

clubfoot louie wrote on Dec 8, 2008 9:23 AM:

" how does the bmv want you to pose for a picture, like in victorian times with a stern scowl on your face while you are holding onto a chair and standing ramrod straight? Where is all of this hi-tech facial recognition software we always hear about? "

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